Q. Do those inexpensive battery-operated toothbrushes work as well as pricier rechargeable ones?

A. As long as you hit all surfaces of the teeth, any brush, powered or manual, will clean well, says Kimberly Harms of the American Dental Association. The under-$10 models use mechanics similar to the $100 ones, without the bells and whistles. That said, in a recent review, a rotational oscillating brush (bristles rotate in one direction, then the other) removed the most plaque. Whichever type you use, brush twice daily for two minutes. And even the priciest brush doesn’t eliminate the need to floss.